Chiropractic, and much medical, treatment and massage are commonly performed with the patient lying on a specially designed treatment table, which has a number of independently adjustable support surfaces. The support surfaces can each be adjusted in position to provide proper support for the particular patient and the particular treatment.
During the course of treatment, the chiropractor, masseur, or doctor may exert substantial force on the patient, forcing the patient against the treatment table. Although the table support surfaces are fully padded, the resultant force exerted by the table on the patient may cause discomfort to some sensitive body areas. When the patient is a woman and when the treatment demands that she lie face-down and on her stomach, the resulting force tends to press the patient's breasts against the table and may cause substantial discomfort. This problem of discomfort during treatment is particularly troublesome for heavily busted women, women with breast implants, women who have undergone mastectomies, or male patients who have any one of a number of types of chest surgeries.
A number of chiropractic treatment tables provide vertically and longitudinally adjustable support surfaces for a chiropractor to administer treatment. Some tables used during medical treatment also include adjustable parts.
An object of the present invention is to provide special support apparatus, for chiropractic or medical or massage treatment, which enable women patients to lie face-down during treatment, even pressed down by the chiropractor, without incurring painful pressure to their breasts, by providing stress relief for the breasts.
Another object of the invention is to provide support for a chiropractic or medical treatment or massage table, whereby the shoulders can help support a woman patient lying on her stomach on the table, with her head, legs, midsection and other portions lying on the table, the shoulder supports providing a recess accommodating the patient's breasts to provide breast stress relief by retaining them above a base area of the table. Similar relief may be provided for pregnant women.
Another object is to provide proper support and resistance adjustment of the thoracic spine for prone women patients.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved chiropractic, medical treatment, or massage table which supports a woman patient lying face down without producing pressure on her breasts.
Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments, considered along with the accompanying drawings.